Too much of everything

Simply A Masterpiece

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Two college-age girls travel to farming country to console their friend, whose husband was recently killed in a tractor accident in their barn (which no one attempts to investigate or explain). The land appears to be cursed, yet the leader of the local religious sect, the Hittites, wants the young widow to vacate so his people can take it over. Director and co-scenarist Wes Craven takes the Amish way of life and style of dress and makes it macabre...but not frightening enough to bolster this wayward whodunit with occult overtones. Ernest Borgnine gives an amusingly glinty-eyed performance as the intimidating leader of the Hittites, and gets the best lines ("You are a stench in the nostrils of God!"). The mixture of T&A and terror wasn't invented here, though it's disheartening to see talented Craven stooping to this cheesy level. His career went soft during the slasher era, not receiving a boost until "A Nightmare on Elm Street" rescued him three years later. *1/2 from ****

Wes Craven was attached to this project which should be enough for me to watch ...That being said its got excellent cinematography for its time, perfect music score, good acting and sexy beautiful girls ...and what do you know, an original horror plot. I found this film to have a great ambiance and artsy vibe, the location elevated the film and the death scenes were similar to those of Dario Argento .. (suspiria). The ending was a bit blotchy, but overall the film was very good with great scares, you can tell while watching it that its something created by the master behind SCREAM! It truly deserves a higher rating and more acknowledgement ... and even a remake ... (under tim burton or wan?)Ps. Be wary of the Amish lol FINAL GRADE B

This film is set in Amish Country, at a local farm, where a woman's husband is mysteriously killed by his own tractor! Personally, I think Ernest Borgnine is a good Hittite, leading a group of religious fanatics that "make the Amish look like swingers". Borgnine was nominated for a Razzie award for "Worst Supporting Actor" for this movie. Really? I mean, he may not be brilliant, but he is not that bad.AllMovie comments that the film "finds director Wes Craven in a transitional phase between his hard-hitting early work and his later commercial successes." I am not sure what the hard-hitting phase was (presumably "Last House" and "Hills Have Eyes"). I would definitely agree this film falls into his more obscure, less-successful period.Time Out wrote, "Deadly Blessing isn't a very good movie, but it holds out distinct promise that Craven will soon be in the front rank of horror filmmakers", calling it "an excellent example of a mundane project elevated into quite a palatable genre movie by its director." If nothing out, they predicted Craven's rise to the top perfectly. Which is weird, because this film (as opposed to others) would not be the one that suggests his potential.As I write this (February 2013), there is a new Blu-Ray version coming out. Up until now, the film has never been seen on DVD or BD. I watched it on Netflix. Admittedly, I am curious how the film transfers. I might consider bumping the rating up one notch if the picture improves. The disc is also loaded with special features. That may not improve the film itself, but it could help put it into a better context of Craven's career.

Up until recently I have never heard of this movie, all I knew before I saw it was that this was Sharon Stone's first ever speaking role, and now that I finally got round to seeing this, well I was pleasantly surprised.The plot = Set in the Amish country, where a young woman named Martha (Maren Jensen) and her husband John (Jeff East) are hated by the Hitites because John was once one of them and now he's married Martha who they think is an incubus. But when her husband dies in a mysterious tractor accident, she invites her 2 friends Vicky (Susan Buckner) and Lana (Sharon Stone) and once they arrive strange things begin to happen.I really liked this movie and I don't know why this isn't more remembered by some other of Wes Craven's work, Well I must say that this movie is really solid and really packs a punch. I thought the story was really unique and perfect for a horror setting. I really liked the sort or religious aspect of this movie as well, I mean the Hitities are hilarious with they're questionable moral views and over the top rants. Not only was the story interesting but the performances were really strong as well.As I've already said the acting in this movie is really strong and top notch Maren Jensen was really outstanding as the female lead, I don't know why she isn't more well known, she brings depth and warmth to her character. Ernest Borgnine was really entertaining as the leader of the Hitites really chews up the scenery but in a good way and steals every scene he's in with his brilliantly ridiculous rants. Michael Berryman another horror star (The Hills Have Eyes) was awesome but didn't get enough screen time, Susan Brukner who plays one of the 3 female leads was also really strong and Sharon Stone well she was stunning in this, a bit of paced performance wise, but all is forgiven as it was her first proper role and she really shines towards the end.The horror aspect of this movie also hits the mark There are some solid jump scares and intense moments. Like the snake in the bathtub which really kept me on the edge of my seat very effective and the weird dream sequence when Sharon Stone has a spider dropped into her mouth was also very effective. The ending well is another thing a lot of people talk about and splits everyone down the middle, well in my opinion doesn't exactly come from nowhere as what some people think if you pay attention about the whole thing with the incubus, it proves that the Hitites are not total whack jobs. The entire last 10 minutes with the typical slasher chase and escape moments were really well done and enjoyable and I also loved the twist when the killer is revealed was done really well although slightly rushed in my opinion but still works.All in all "Deadly Blessing" may not be bloody or gory but it is still a slasher movie right until the end and it's a really great movie and if you're a fan of Wes Craven like I am then check this little unknown gem out.